A farrier killed near his home had often commented on how dangerous the stretch of road was, an inquest was told.

But after learning of various measures already taken to reduce the hazard on the A541 between Pontblyddyn and Caergwrle John Gittins, the coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he did not need to issue a Regulation 28 report to try to prevent any future deaths.

The smash happened close to where the dual-carriageway becomes a single carriageway, a spot where several serious accidents have occurred in recent years.

The driver of the Discovery, Douglas Bailey, who was heading towards Wrexham, told police that as he approached the final bend headlights suddenly appeared ahead of him.

“I suddenly realised the car had come onto my side of the road and was coming towards me,” he said.

Mr Bailey did not have enough time to avoid a collision as it all happened “in a flash”.

Mr Chilton suffered multiple head and chest injuries and was certified dead at the scene.

His estranged wife Eryl said in a statement that he drove a “huge mileage” - about 300,000 miles in six years.

“He often commented on how dangerous the A541 was, which was ironic,” she said.

Colin Dobbins, a forensic collision investigator, said no mechanical faults were found on either vehicle and the road was in good condition so it came down to driver error, but with no identifiable marks it was impossible to determine what speed they had been doing or what position they had been in on the road.

“It is possible the Peugeot may have entered the Wrexham-bound lane but not to the degree that Mr Bailey has indicated,” he said.

It was also possible, he added, that both drivers had crossed the white line to some degree.

The coroner said that because of his concern over the number of fatalities on the A541 he had met officials of Flintshire’s highways department who had explained the measures taken to improve safety. These included lowering the speed limit o 50mph and funnelling traffic into a single lane before the end of the dual-carriageway.

A parking space has also been provided for a police Arrive Alive van to be parked to carry out speed checks and in future a fixed camera might be erected.

Recording a conclusion of death resulting from a road traffic collision, the coroner said that despite what he had been told about the improvements he would continue to monitor the situation.

“It is undoubtedly the case that speed is the most significant factor in most of the deaths,” he said. “It seems probable that speed, or perhaps the combined speed of both was a factor in this collision.”